City of Air (Lost Cities Saga 1)

It happened so fast that no one, not even Mr Garnet, had time to scream. One moment he stood with his daughters behind Mr Diamond, glaring at Leona and the others and the next he was a pillar of flame, swirling towards the sky.

Mr Diamond dropped his pistol. Sebastian actually fell back onto Leona, giving way to Persephone and Namazu to act as a barricade against the fire and heat. Leona's mouth fell open but she could not make a sound. The scent of burning hair and flesh filled the air as they melted away from the man that used to Charles Garnet, Chief Architect of New Amsterdam, and turned to ash beneath his still-standing corpse. The Garnet sisters were the first to gather their wits.

"Father!" they cried in unison, racing to his aid, calling their sylphs to draw away the precious air that fuelled the inferno. But that just seemed to make it stronger, and it sucked in the sylphs and snapped at the sisters before exploding. The blast knocked them all off their feet and then seared their exposed skin. Someone started screaming. It took Leona a moment to realise it was her and clamp her mouth shut.

And then it was over, almost as suddenly as it had begun. They all lay flat for a moment yet, until Sebastian sat up and said, "We have to get out of here, right now."

Leona glanced over to where the Garnet sisters and Mr Diamond were. The girls were wailing at the spot where their father once stood, covered in dirt and ash and blood, but Mr Diamond still lay where he had fallen, unconscious. Mr Suda kicked away the man's pistol, then removed and tossed the two others he wore under his jacket and attached to his boot.

Lady Diana helped Leona up and said, "I know, we were just trying to do that before we were so rudely interrupted."

"No, you don't understand," said Sebastian, turning back to them, his face pale. "We have to get out of here—"

He was cut off by another explosion some metres away that sent up another shower of dirt. This was quickly followed by a barrage that blew great craters into the soil and massive holes into the sides and roofs of neighbouring buildings. The White House of the Confederacy was a blackened husk, great columns of smoke and embers billowed from its pyre to the black, night sky. Some of the flaming objects hit the fleeing guests and approaching soldiers, rending them to pieces and scattering the charred remnants far and wide. Leona screamed when a severed limb landed next to her foot and the others took this as their cue to leave. But where could they run to in the middle of this? The worst sound of all was the whistling the rocket-like objects as they sped through the air, hurtling to the ground. Leona would hear that sound in her nightmares for some time.

They had just made it to the remains of the first barricade around the presidential estate when the bombardment stopped. Ear drums ringing loudly, it took them some time to notice. It was Mr Suda who glanced around and then alerted Sebastian, but no one moved until Persephone and Namuza allowed it.

Leona gasped. The presidential estate was unrecognisable. The grounds were a ruin, a wasteland of holes and debris and fire, the house itself collapsed as they looked at it. Sebastian exhaled and looked up at the sky. Leona followed his gaze too but saw nothing but the smoke that veiled the stars. He said, "We need to go now."

"Yes," said Mr Suda. They had turned to do just that when they heard the shouts. Men hidden behind barricades got up and started running away. Leona looked back, confused, just as a fiery perambulating skeleton climbed out of a hole and cut down a fleeing soldier. And he was just one of many.

Leona had suspected it since Mr Garnet caught fire, but now she was certain that she knew who was responsible for this. Sebastian whispered the words, "Lord Aries…"

The man himself was still out of sight, and Leona was not prepared to wait for him. He had just killed Mr Garnet, there was no telling what he would do to her. She turned to Sebastian and said, "We have to get back to Gloriana's mansion."

"Gloriana?" asked Sebastian. He and Mr Suda were leading them away from the house in a manner that suggested that they knew exactly where they were going.

"The lady who was with me earlier. They took me to her house and put me in the attic. We need to get to her house, Generous is there," said Leona.

"Do you know how to get there?" asked Sebastian.

"Well, no," Leona admitted. "But I can find it. I'm sure I can, it was west of here, a plantation decorated for the anniversary. They had a picnic there today, Generous was with Mr Garnet. Please help me get him back!"

"We have to get to the ship," said Mr Suda. "I suspect, Sebastian-san, that given current events it would no longer be wise for subjects of the Empire to be present in the Confederacy."

Sebastian nodded at this and asked, "Leona, are you sure that you can find this plantation. There are lot of large plantations around here and its dark out."

"I will find it," said Leona.

"Come then, quickly now. We have a ship in the city but we'll go to the hotel first to get you something to wear," said Sebastian.

Leona looked down at herself. The coat had done a very good job in covering her underclothes in her opinion and going back to this hotel was just going to waste time. She said, "I have a dress at Gloriana's mansion, let's go there first. Surely we can take one of these cars here? I don't think their o-owners are going to use them anymore."

They were almost to the tree line. Sebastian heard the warning whistle in time to pull Leona to him a moment before the ground in front of them exploded in a cloud of dirt. Then the skeletons were climbing out of the crater before the group was back on their feet but Persephone and Namazu made quick work of them. Still, Lady Diana called, "I hear you're a water magician, Miss Ruby! A little help, please, if it would not be too much trouble…."

"Oh! Yes," said Leona. Her leviathan was gone and the air was mostly dry because of the fires, but there was moisture in the trees and the earth beneath their feet. This would have been a perfect situation for Kara too, but Leona was not in the mood for air elemental magic, not anymore.

"I'm afraid that you'll have to do it on the run," said Sebastian, pulling her after him to the trees.

"Where are we going?" asked Leona. She was reciting the incantation in her head, trying to call for an undine. Nothing happened. The trees held firmly to what little moisture they had left with the conflagration drawing closer. How had she managed to exist this long without a familiar? Clearly Lord Aries was mistaken in thinking her very powerful. Really powerful magicians would have had their own familiars by her age.

"We need to give ourselves cover. Lord Aries could be anywhere right now," said Sebastian. "Our hotel is on the other side of these trees."

They broke through the tree line to find they had made it back to the main streets. Leona abandoned her efforts at summoning, unable to concentrate. The main street was a mess of fleeing civilians, charging soldiers, stalled carriages and steam cars. There was a cacophony of voices, orders being barked, relatives calling to each other, and masters calling to servants, amidst the engines, the horns and the frightened noises of animals being hurried to and fro. Sebastian said, "I see our hotel, but getting to it will not be easy. Mr Suda, do you have any suggestions?"

Mr Suda glanced back at Lady Diana and Leona and said, "Stay close to us. Though I suspect the hotel may have closed its doors."

"We should have Persephone and Namazu clear a path," said Lady Diana.

"No," said Mr Suda. "It will be too conspicuous to our pursuers."

Sebastian nodded at this, then extended his hand to Leona. She looked at it and he said, "I do not wish to explain to Vincent how I recovered and lost you again."

She took his hand and he started forward into the street. Halfway across, Leona was pressed into his back, trying to avoid being pulled away from him in the tide of people hurrying around them. Sebastian was forced to put his arm around her and pull her into his side. Leona had no idea if Mr Suda and Lady Diana were still behind them, she could barely see over the heads of the people they were pushing through on the street.

When they stepped onto the sidewalk in front of the hotel, it was to find the doors closed and a handful of armed Confederate soldiers blocking their path. Sebastian tightened his grip on Leona and started past them as if they were not there.

One of the soldiers put his arm up and pushed back. "Where do you think you're going?" he demanded, glaring at Sebastian. He was a tall, dark-haired man, who looked only a little older than Sebastian, with breath that smelled of whiskey and tobacco.

Sebastian glanced down at the man's hand and said, "To my room. And if you put your hand on me again be prepared for the consequences."

Something exploded in mid-air behind them, forcing everyone to duck. Leona pressed her face into Sebastian's back, shaking so badly she was having trouble holding onto him. They had no time for this.

At Sebastian's statement the man had straightened and glared. A few of his companions snickered. He turned fully to Sebastian and asked, "Are you threatening me, boy?"

Lady Diana slipped between them just as Sebastian opened his mouth to respond and said, "Good evening, sir. Please let us pass, we're guests at this hotel. We just escaped the attack on the President's House and we just want to get out of the streets. Please let us pass."

The man took in Lady Diana's ruined dress, then Sebastian's and Mr Suda's suits, and finally Leona in the soldier's coat and asked, "Them two with you?"

"Of course," said Sebastian.

"Yes," said Lady Diana.

The man looked them over again and then stood aside. Sebastian led the way in even as Lady Diana called, "Thank you sir, thank you!"

The door was not locked when they got to it, but that was probably because the doorman had gone to help some of the guests pack up their luggage. The lobby was just as chaotic as the streets outside, guests on their way out en masse. Sebastian led Leona and the others directly to the lifts. The corridor on their floor, the fifth, was just as packed with fleeing guests. Doors were open with bellboys and porters hurrying in and out with trunks. Mr Suda walked ahead to open the door to their room, at the end of the hall, and they hurried in after.

Their room overlooked the hotel's back gardens. It was a large, cream-coloured room with Frankish windows, an octagonal sitting area and two sets of bedrooms on either side. With the door closed the sounds from outside were muted but the explosions still rattled the windows and set the ornate crystal chandeliers overhead swaying. Lady Diana took Leona's hand from Sebastian's and said, "Let's get cleaned up while Sebastian and Mr Suda contact the others."

"The others?" asked Leona, looking at Sebastian.

"Like I said, Miss Ruby, I have a ship and crew. We will join them, retrieve your brother and get out of the Confederacy before Lord Aries finds us," he replied.

"Oh, but," Leona began, but Lady Diana had already pushed her through the door to her bedroom. Leona looked at the older girl and said, "I have to tell him that I know where the West City is. If he wants to find it, I can take him there."

Lady Diana paused on her way to her clothing chest and lifted an eyebrow at Leona. "You can? In the same manner that you are sure that you can locate your younger brother?"

Leona straightened and replied, "We were in the Union state of Colorado, high in the mountains above a mining town. The Garnets' had a house there that is the only one for as far as the eye can see. I don't think it would be that hard to find."

Lady Diana considered this for a moment, and then turned back to the trunk. "Get out of that coat. There is a small bathroom to your right where you can freshen up. I think I have a dress here that will fit you, though I suppose it will be a little long."

The bathroom was where Lady Diana said it would be and the water was refreshingly cool against Leona's skin. It also soothed the stinging skin on her face and hands. Leona scrubbed off the soot and mud from her skin, then left her ruined dress on the bathroom floor. The crinoline could not be used but her chemise, corset and pantaloons were still somewhat presentable. Leona took a moment to look over her reflection in the mirror and was surprised at how thin she had become and the dark circles around her eyes. Had she really changed that much in such a short time? She did not feel any different, though she was rather tired.

Lady Diana was not in the room when Leona walked back into it, but the dress she had promised was. It was a printed brown silk day dress with wrap skirt, a cream, striped undershirt, and copper-coloured velvet bands at the wrists and collar of her bodice. It was going to be a little long, but if she hitched the skirt here and there, Leona thought that she just might be able to walk. She reached for the shirt and realised that she could hear the voices in the living room.

"…we really going to look for her younger brother?" asked Lady Diana.

"We cannot leave the boy here," said Sebastian. "If Lord Aries does not get him, the authorities here are not going to be kind to a little freedman boy helping traitors."

There was another explosion close by and Leona squeezed her eyes shut against the rattle of the roof. Those outside did not appear too disturbed though, for Lady Diana's voice was calm as she asked,"Do you think that she can find him?"

Sebastian chuckled a little before replying, "She certainly found out my secrets."

"I'm being serious."

"As am I. We will find the boy and head for Londinium. I'll have word sent to Vincent for him to meet us there."

"You're not taking her back to her family?"

"Her teacher had already made arrangements to send her to Londinium with Vincent and I at the end of the summer. He knew well that he could no longer properly train her and whatever other plans he had would have come to naught with Lord Aries around."

"You have someone in mind to teach her? She does not look like a healer…maybe you should just give her to the Grand Duchess. Aunt has always wanted a little girl to play dress up."

Leona wrinkled her nose at that. Lady Diana was starting to sound an awful lot like Rose Garnet.

"Don't be absurd. Lord Aries will not dare harm her in Londinium, not once she is apprenticed to another of the Twelve. But we cannot take her any further with us. This quest is not for her, she's not used to anything like this at all."

"Nor were you when you started. But I don't think you should send her away just yet. She says that she can take you to the West City. She says that Lord Aries took her to Colorado where her abductors had a house."

A long silence followed this, in which time, Leona managed to get the undershirt on and folded back the overlong sleeves, then started on the skirt. Then Sebastian barked out a laugh and said, "Miss Leona Ruby is perhaps the most extraordinary magician I have ever met and I'm not just saying that because she's an aether magician. She found the West City?"

"She said that she could take you to it, but yes, so it would appear."

Sebastian laughed again and said, "Then I suppose we're going to the West City again."

Sebastian's crew turned out to be three former officers of the Imperial Air Guard, all air magicians, who greeted them all with a sharp salute. The captain, Thomas Nemesis, tall and broad, had a scarred face and an eye patch. His two crewmen, John Hyacinth and Gabriel Volage, were slim, fair-haired young men who wore the reason for their possible discharge on their bodies. One man had a metal foot, the other, a metal hand. Leona wondered how they had acquired the injuries and the spare limbs but did not want to ask. The captain winked at Lady Diana when he saw her and said to Sebastian, "We're ready when you are sir, and I think we best get out of here before it gets any hotter."

The cannonade had stopped a half hour earlier, though most of the city was ablaze and the air was filled with ash and embers. Leona supposed that Lord Aries was satisfied that he had avenged himself against his enemies and their allies and was now searching for her.

Sebastian, now dressed in a crisp dark blue suit, having discarded his costume with a soft, sad sigh earlier, straightened his gloves and replied, "Of course, but a minor detour beforehand. We have to pick up someone, a boy of thirteen, Miss Ruby's younger brother. He was taken with her and left at one of the mansions near here."

The captain looked to Leona and asked, "Do you know which mansion?"

Leona shook her head and said, "No, but it was not too far away from the mansion. I'm sure we can find it once we're in the air. Please let me find him. I cannot leave him here. They'll kill him."

The captain glanced at Sebastian, who nodded and then he said, "His Lordship already gave the order. Come along then. Let's get your brother."

The ship, the HMA Zephyrine, was a standard glider-class airship, of the kind the wealthy used for pleasure cruises but which could, if necessary, take longer lights. Similar in style to the schooner that was its inspiration, the airship had a large balloon, which encased seven smaller gasbags between which air was transferred for lift, two large paddlewheels for propulsion and a wooden gondola. In the gondola was the flight deck to the front, the living quarters in the middle and the engine compartment to the back. The living quarters were small but neat, with a sitting area, sleeping quarters with bunk beds behind a heavy curtain, and a small back room for the toilet and bath right next to the engine room. As soon as the small party had boarded, the captain and his crew made arrangements for take-off and Sebastian sat with Leona and asked, "When you were going to the President's House, did you travel along this road?"

"I think so," she said, realising then that she could not really be sure. They had locked her away in a room since she got to Richmond, and though their journey to the president's house had been hampered by the many roadblocks, it had been a dark night in an unfamiliar city. With that scant information she doubted anyone would be able to find Generous, and given Lord Aries' presence in the city, would be more inclined to give up and run. She reached for Sebastian's hand and said, "Please, we cannot leave him here. He'll kill him. I know he will. I helped them when they betrayed them. I could have stopped them but I didn't. Please don't leave him."

Sebastian paled. Leona's vision blurred and she was surprised to find that her eyes were filled with tears. She released his hand and swallowed the painful clenching in her throat, then pressed her own fist to her heart. Sebastian cleared his throat and handed her a handkerchief. She took it with a whispered "Thank you" and he turned away from her and said, "We won't, Miss Ruby. But we need to know where he is. Can you at least give me a landmark? Something that stands out in your memory since your departure from the house?"

Leona started shaking her head, but then the captain called, "Your Lordship…I think you should see this!"

Sebastian stood at once and headed for the flight deck. Leona wiped away her tears and swallowed a sob. What kind of older sister was she that she would leave her brother with those people? Was there really nothing more that she could have done to help him? Could she not have found a way to demand that Generous come with them? Then Sebastian said, "Miss Ruby, I…I think we've found him."

Leona looked up just as Lady Diana gasped and said, "Oh my…"

In the window beside Lady Diana, the night sky lit up in the wake of a fireball moments before it crashed into something in the dark and exploded. Her heart skipped a beat but she forced herself to stand. A second fireball followed the first, then another and another, until they could all discern the outline of a Great House and its grounds on fire. Leona took a step forward, stumbled and then ran to the window, her heart racing. She put her hands on the glass and thought she could feel the heat of the blaze.

"Oh my…Generous…oh no…" she said and then started hyperventilating. Someone grasped her hands and tried to pull her away from the window. "No!" she cried and tried to go back to it.

"Miss Ruby, stop it!" said Sebastian. He tightened his grip, wrapping his arms around her and pulling back.

"No! That's my brother out there! He's killing my brother!" she screamed, her voice breaking halfway through so that most of her words were just gasps of air. The tears flowed freely and it was hard to breathe. She squeezed her eyes shut and fought Sebastian, trying again to be heard, "No! Let me go! He's killing my brother!"

"Diana, a little help please!" Sebastian ground out. Leona could feel his grip weakening.

A moment later, a damp cloth was pressed to Leona's face. The acrid scent seemed to go directly to her brain and she tried to turn her head away. It was a vain battle. The world quickly dissolved into black.

It was dark and cool when Leona awoke. She blinked open her eyes to find herself staring at the wooden slats of the bunk bed above her, a golden sliver of light stretching across the floor and illuminating the room. Someone had put her to bed though there was no one else with her now. The pair of bunk beds beside her was also empty, though the sheets of the lower bed had been turned down. She shifted to sit up, noticing then that she had also been stripped of her loaned dress and corset, and that was when she heard the whispers.

"…wants us to follow him. I cannot believe that he's playing this game when he knows he could just shoot us down. Is he still keeping pace with us?"

There was a reply in the affirmative that Leona could barely hear, and then Sebastian said, "Where is he taking us? Why does he want us with him?"

"We have Miss Ruby," Lady Diana replied. "He told you himself, he needs her there and since we refuse to hand her over and he won't give up her little brother, we're all going to Aerie."

Leona felt her heart seize and tried to stand. She hit her head on the bunk bed above her instead and fell back, massaging her scalp.

"What's that?"

"Miss Ruby may be awake. I think she heard the good news."

There was the sound of footsteps and then the curtains separating the rooms were thrown open. "Miss Ruby!"

Leona took her hand away from her head and looked up to find Sebastian smiling in at her. He said, "Your little brother is alive! Lord Aries did not kill him…though he did burn the mansion of your former hostess."

Leona nodded, suddenly unable to speak, tears welling in her eyes again. She looked away from him to hide it and then could not contain the sob that escaped her.

"Miss Ruby…?" asked Sebastian.

Leona shook her head. She wanted to tell him that she was fine. She wanted to reassure him that she understood that her brother was alive and that she was happy to hear the news but all she could do was cry. The tears were a flood that flowed freely down her face and dripped onto her chemise and hands. She heard him take a step but then his cousin barked, "Don't you dare go in there. I will see to Miss Ruby." Sebastian stepped in anyway, pulled the cover from the bed and wrapped it around Leona's shoulders before drawing her into his arms. She pressed her face into his jacket gratefully and bawled.

It took some time but eventually Leona calmed down. Then Lady Diana brought a mug of hot tea and sat with Leona until the girl drank it all. Sebastian sat on the opposite bed, presumably Lady Diana's, though Mr Suda remained in the outer room. When she finished her tea, Leona said, "I am sorry. Generous is alive?"

"He is," said Sebastian, still smiling at her. "But he is with Lord Aries who appears to be leading us somewhere."

"To Aerie," said Leona, glancing to the outer room.

"Yes," said Sebastian. "What is that?"

"It's the Garnets' mansion and according to Mr Diamond it is also the gate to the West City," said Leona.

"Mr Diamond?" asked Sebastian.

"He was one of Lord Aries' men who betrayed him to join the Garnets," said Leona. "He is also a descendant of the Order, so are the Garnets, and they were part of an organisation that called itself the White Tiger League. Lord Aries told them that I am a descendant of House Ruby and because I am also an aether magician they took me with them. This tonight…t-they said that they were trying to rebuild the Order in the New World. Lord Aries..." She looked up at Sebastian, the horror washing over her again, "He burned Mr Garnet to death."

She took a breath to stifle another sob, and Lady Diana gave her a gentle pat on the back. Leona took another breath and said, "Mr Diamond also told me how to get into the West City. I think Lord Aries thinks there's a key but Mr Diamond says that it is just that the magician is summoning the gate. You would also need an air magician to do it."

Sebastian and Lady Diana exchanged a glance and then Sebastian said, "Lord Aries took Mr Garnet's daughters, are they air magicians?"

"Yes," said Leona. She closed her eyes and said, "He's going to kill them. They don't deserve it. Even Rose…they just want to rebuild the city in the Union."

Sebastian took a breath. Leona opened her eyes and he asked, "Miss Ruby…did…were you harmed in any way while you were in their care?"

Leona stared at him. He ducked her gaze and said, "I can see you that are well enough but I must ask."

Leona looked down at the cup in her hands, thinking of Lord Aries slapping her, Rose Garnet's personality change, being locked away in the attic and said, "No. I…they did not treat me too badly…but I…I helped them summon those soldiers…all those soldiers." She looked up at Sebastian. "Do you know what happened to them?"

"There's certainly a war going on down there. Lord Aries has burned most of the capital to ash but as we were leaving there were airships coming in, predator class that are made for war, some of which had a pouncing white tiger emblem on their sides. They let us through but no doubt they are the reinforcements and they have no idea that one of their masterminds is now dead," Sebastian replied.

"I don't think that will matter," said Leona, thinking of all that Mr Diamond, Mr Garnet and Gloriana had told her. "They said they have been planning this for a very long time. Did I just help them overthrow a nation?"

Again Sebastian and Lady Diana exchanged a glance, and then Sebastian looked to Mr Suda. It was Mr Suda who replied, "Aether magicians can do more than that, Ruby-san…or so the legend says."

Leona scowled and said, "That legend again, I never heard anything about it before I met Mr Tyne or Lord Aries and suddenly everyone's gone mad over it. And aether magicians too, everyone says they used to hunt us down in the past and now they're fighting over me."

"Perhaps," said Sebastian. "Though I suppose the reason you never heard the legend until I arrived is because Mr Opal was waiting on the right time. For any magician to possess any one of the Great Treasures is for that magician to become the most powerful in that element in the world. And imagine what an aether magician with that kind of power could do. That person would be a god among men."

"The Garnets had a piece of philosopher's stone," said Leona. Sebastian's eyes went wide and Leona said, "That's how I summoned the army. If they did not the summoning would have killed me."

"Did Mr Garnet have it with him tonight?" asked Sebastian, his gaze drifting off over her left shoulder, brow furrowing.

"I don't know. Maybe. I don't think they needed me to summon anything tonight," said Leona. "It would be bad if Lord Aries got his hands on that."

"We have you, it does not matter if he has," said Sebastian.

Leona looked him directly in the eyes and said, "No, you don't understand, he doesn't need me. He has never needed me."

"He certainly went through a lot of trouble for someone he does not need," said Lady Diana.

Leona turned to her, shaking her head, and said, "You don't know, do you? Lord Aries is an aether magician too. Those skeletons tonight…didn't you see? Didn't you feel it? They used to be people. And if he could do that without a philosopher's stone, what do you think he can do when he gets one?"